1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn

Both the Rolls-Royce and Bentley vehicles wore coach built-bodies during the pre-World War II era. When peacetime resumed, both would offer a factory-built body for the first time, with Bentley's model called the Mark VI and Rolls-Royce's the Silver Dawn. The Bentley Mark VI arrived on the market first, in 1946, and 5,208 examples were built by the time production ended in 1952. The Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn followed in 1949, and 760 were built by 1955.

1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn photo
Shooting Brake by Radford
Chassis #: STH29
View info and history
The 'factory' Rolls-Royce and Bentley bodies were built by the Pressed Steel Company of England. Both models had a 120-inch wheelbase, were approximately 70 inches wide, and had a standard length of 192 inches. The Silver Dqwn was available in three different wheelbase lengths ranging from 192- to 210 inches. The Bentley stood 64.5 inches tall, and the Rolls-Royces at 69 inches. The Bentley was initially powered by a 4.3-liter F-head straight-6, later growing to 4.6 liters in 1951. The Rolls-Royce used a 4.2-liter engine, upgrading to a 4.6-liter unit in 1951. A high-compression cylinder head was fitted beginning in 1953.

Most of the Silver Dawn vehicles wore factory-built standard steel bodies supplied by the Pressed Steel Company Limited, plus sixty-four with coachbuilder bodies. Of the 761 (as few as 760) examples of the Silver Dawn built, 591 were powered by the 4.5-liter engine. Silver Dawn Series A through D had coachwork identical to the Mark IV. The 'E' Series Silver Dawn arrived in mid-1952 with an enlarged boot, changes to the rear wings, updates to the suspension, and an optional four-speed automatic transmission. The final series was the 'J' Series.

The Silver Dawn was an 'export only' model initially unavailable in Britain's home market until 1953. Introduced in 1949 at the Canadian International World's Fair in Toronto (another first for the marque), it had a separate chassis, an independent front suspension, hydraulic front brakes, and mechanical rear brakes with mechanical servo assist. Helical springs and hydraulic dampers were at the front, and in the back were semi-elliptic springs with hydraulic dampers. The transmission was a four-speed manual with column or floor level controls, with synchromesh in the 2nd through 4th gear. A four-speed automatic transmission was available from late 1952 on the 'E' Series chassis. The steering was by a cam and roller follower system.

1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn photo
Saloon
Chassis #: LSVJ27
Engine #: S78J
View info and history
Auction entries : 1
The 4,257cc six-cylinder engine had an inlet-over-exhaust valve gear that had been in development since the mid-1930s. A belt drive was used for the water pump and dynamo for the first time on this engine, and a Zenith Stromberg carburetor in Rolls-Royce configuration. It had a cast iron block, an aluminum alloy head, seven main bearings, and solid valve lifters. Displacement grew to 4,566cc in 1951, and the previous carburetors were exchanged for twin SUs from the Mark VI.


by Daniel Vaughan | May 2023

Related Reading : Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn History

The launch of the Silver Dawn in 1949 confirmed the publics acceptance and demand for the standard steel body, as only a few were fitted with specialized coachwork. After the war Rolls-Royce decided that if increasing volume was their main objective, then the manufacture of complete motor cars was required. This meant designing a pressed steel body and modernizing some of their production methods. The....
Continue Reading >>

1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn Vehicle Profiles

1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn vehicle information
Saloon

Chassis #: LSVJ27
Engine #: S78J
1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn vehicle information
Shooting Brake

Coachwork: Radford
Chassis #: STH29

Recent Vehicle Additions

Performance and Specification Comparison

Silver Dawn

Specification Comparison by Year

Year
Production
Wheelbase
Engine
Prices
120.00 in.
6 cyl., 260.00 CID., 126.00hp
120.00 in.
6 cyl., 278.63 CID., 150.00hp
120.00 in.
6 cyl., 278.63 CID., 150.00hp
785
120.00 in.
6 cyl., 280.71 CID., 150.00hp
120.00 in.
6 cyl., 278.63 CID., 130.00hp
120.00 in.
6 cyl., 278.63 CID.

Related Automotive News

Toyota Marks 50-Millionth Corolla Sold

Toyota Marks 50-Millionth Corolla Sold

From A Humble Start, the Corolla Grew to Become the Worlds Best-Selling Model, and Toyota Celebrates This Milestone Cars Place in Automotive History and Customers Lives PLANO, Texas (August 26, 2021) – This past July, Toyota sold the 50-millionth...
Subaru Rally Car Sells for $865K; Rare '72 Ferrari Daytona Leads Newest Auction Entries

Subaru Rally Car Sells for $865K; Rare '72 Ferrari Daytona Leads Newest Auction Entries

COLLECTING CARS UPDATE HAMMER FALLS AT %24865,000 FOR HISTORIC SUBARU IMPREZA S6 WRC2000 RALLY CAR 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona, Colour and Chrome Mercedes Collection and Selection of U.S.-based Models Join Global Platform Collecting Cars...
DBZ Centenary Collection: Classic Joins Contemporary In Unique Centenary Tribute

DBZ Centenary Collection: Classic Joins Contemporary In Unique Centenary Tribute

DBZ Centenary Collection comprises of DB4 GT Zagato Continuation and DBS GT Zagato Production strictly limited to 19 pairs - cars will not be sold separately Conceived to mark Zagatos centenary in 2019 Track-only DB4 GT Zagato Continuation to be...
Full Car List Revealed As City Concours Kicks Off This Week

Full Car List Revealed As City Concours Kicks Off This Week

This Thursday and Friday more than 100 of the worlds most incredible cars will roar into Londons Honourable Artillery Company for the first City Concours Star cars range from the Pagani Huarya and Aston Martin Vulcan to early motoring pioneers li...
2016 CHEVROLET CRUZE FEATURES NEW ECOTEC ENGINES

2016 CHEVROLET CRUZE FEATURES NEW ECOTEC ENGINES

New engine family, 6T35 transmission balance power, efficiency and refinement DETROIT – The 2016 Chevrolet Cruze is powered by General Motors new, global family of Ecotec small-displacement engines, featuring a modular architecture that...

Vehicle information, history, and specifications from concept to production.